ReAnimation
by StarfallGalaxy
Summary: Bendy Toon AU. After Henry Inker learns that his partner Joey Drew has been spending too much money, and their company is going under as a result, he sets out in search for inspiration. He stumbles upon the strange Ink Factory with a mysterious Toon hiding inside it's crippled walls! Can Henry make this work or is this Devil Darlin' a fiend more than a friend?
1. Good Morning, Henry

**_A/n: I fI owned the game, this wouldn't be on here, would it?_**

 _RINGRINGRING!_

 _Click._

"Good morning, Henry!"

"What the fuck are you doing calling me at 7:30 in the morning, Joey?"

Henry Inker had to get up every morning to a crying baby girl, at 9:00 am after working all night long. He didn't need this crap from Joey. Joey Drew was Henry's business partner and general asshole to all the staff they had, but Henry knew that he meant well in the end. Sure, his eccentricities had led them to slaughtering their careers over the years, but they had been friend since high school. It made sense for them to be friends, really. With Joey's know-how and Henry's skill and talent, the two knew they were destined for greatness. Now if only someone else would see it.

"Ummmm…"

"Well? What is it?", Henry sighed, hearing a certain fussy toddler start to wake up.

"Do you want the good news or the bad news?", Joey asked, sounding very unsure of himself-out of character for the boisterous Joey.

"Um…", Henry stepped into his small room in his apartment that served as his daughter's room to scoop her up while holding the phone to his ear, "Good news would be...good? I guess….."

"We got the building! It's really big and it smells a little funky but…"

"JOEY! The bad news?", Henry bounced his child, shushing her.

"It's gonna be a bit empty...hehheh…."

"WHAT?! Joey, what did you do?"

"Our employees kinda quit.", Joey's voice went flat before springing up again, "But don't worry! I'm sure that they won't press charges because I kinda, sorta, overworked them maybe!"

"JOEY! Are you crazy?", Henry whisper-shouted trying not to disturb the now-quiet bundle in his arms.

"Um...going through a tunnel! KRRRSSSHHHH! See you later, Henry!", The wannabe entrepreneur hung up.

Henry sighed heavily. Joey Drew-while being very creative-was a man of ideas and only ideas. Problem was, none of those stuck to the gangly man and if they didn't work the first time he was ready to throw in the towel. Henry needed to find Joey fast, otherwise the man might drink himself in a stupor again. Last time he did that, he had ended up in Toontown and was arrested for not having a pass. There were strict rules about Toons and humans interacting, especially in Hollywood where they lived. The last thing their silly little startup studio needed was to have racist assholes after them. Most people hated passes, mostly because the slips of paper were racist and in poor taste, but no one could deny the need for it since the Toons could bend reality pretty easily.

Animators were really the only ones that went near them outside of Toontown, their job being to help these beloved characters get on the actual screen, but they were all in it for the money. Henry wasn't. He simply had always wanted to meet a Toon, maybe make his own in an animation studio...see it come to life with the Trademark Ink that was so sought after because having it would mean recognition for Joey and joy for Henry.

So how to go about finding Joey? He'd be in their new place, no doubt, since Henry hadn't recognized the number on his cell phone. But who to take care of little Linda while he was gone? The regular babysitter would be in school by now and Henry was thinking of replacing her, anyway. A whistling outside answered his question.

 _SLAM!  
_  
"SAMMY!", Henry shouted at the tall, thin man who grasped his heart before giving him a glare..

Samuel Lawrence was a very odd man. He was tall and thin as a scarecrow with scruffy blonde hair. He was an eccentric musician, neighbor of Henry's for 7 years now, so he was used to the constant fights the artist had with his friend. It was no surprise to him when Henry explained his predicament.

"So what does this have to do with you scaring me to death?", The musician's monotone voice droned as he fixed his crumpled bow tie.

"Sammy, I need you to babysit for me!", Henry grinned as he tried to pass his infant into Sammy's arms.

"No. And I told you to stop calling me Sammy.", Sammy took a step back.

"Aw, c'mon! Please? Just for today?", The younger man whimpered.

"Ugh...fine.", Sammy sighed, awkwardly holding the baby now, "Does it need a leash or...Henry?"

Henry couldn't hear him, he was running down the hall.

 **A/N: Chapter 1 done! Reviews make me wanna do more!**


	2. The Ink Factory

Joey Drew had been waiting for Henry this past half hour, knowing that every minute was closer to his demise. The new office, like everything else in this old building, looked like it had been through hell and back. It had no color-not really, more like a bunch of brown boards. Actually, the only color in Joey's office currently was his slightly reddish-brown desk, the silver lamp and the bright, horrid pink chair the sat on the other side of it.

Needless to say, if looks could kill, his friend would burn him alive right now.

"JOHAN CORNELIUS DREW, WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE?!", Henry Inker roared as he seized his best friend by the shoulders, shaking him like he was a boneless ragdoll before calming down and flopping down into the chair that sat cheerily in front of Joey's desk.

"Now, calm down.", Joey said, sipping his coffee calmly, "We aren't done, yet!"

"Yes, we are! We're screwed! If we don't come up with a crew, a cartoon, and HELL!", Henry stood up, knocking over his chair, "A decent idea would be nice! What the heck were you thinking?!"

"I was doing what I thought-", Joey tried to explain, reaching out his hand to his friend.

"What?! Oh, I know! You were 'doing what you thought was right for the company', right, Joey?", Henry spit, hitting his friend's hand away from himself, "Right?!"

"Henry! C'mon, I-"

"NO, Joey! We won't just brush over this! You just-! I'm so sick of cleaning up after you! I just-!", Henry growled. "Why do I listen to you?"

"But Henry-!"

"No, Joey…I need to take a walk…"

"Henry, wait!", Joey started again, but it was too late.

Henry had left.

Henry slammed his head into his car's steering wheel. What to do now? He supposed he should go back home, but something told him not to. He needed to cool off, go cruise and process everything. Sammy could take care of Linda for a while, right? Right.

He turned on the ignition, turning out of the parking lot onto the paved road. He didn't even know where he was going, he just wanted to go far away. In fact, he wished that he was a child again. Sitting on that old, ugly carpet of his mother's, watching Looney Tunes or Ducktales or any one of the countless cartoons he loved.

He drove on, oblivious to the misty surroundings closing in. When he finally noticed, it was getting quite dark. The road looked unfamiliar, broken as if someone had hit it with a giant Toon sledgehammer. Who knows, maybe they had. Eventually, the dark road stopped, and Henry was pulled out of his car. He couldn't explain why he felt like he should get out of the vehicle, he just did. Instantly, he recognized where he was.

The Ink Factory loomed before him. Henry was pretty sure it was something he saw In his nightmares. He'd heard about the Ink Factory, of course, everyone knew about how before color cartoons, all Toons were made here. Color, however, made this place obsolete. Here it was now, though, long forgotten like some of the Toons it made so very long ago.

The place was in complete disrepair, it's two-story building seemed to sag under all of it's old memories. The door was unhinged, it's windows broken by what appeared to be stones. It looked like a mock-up of the former glory of its history. An old piece of paper caught Henry's eye, snagged on a pole stuck in the ground next to the entrance. The cartoonist didn't know what was prompting him to see the old piece of parchment, but he grabbed the drawing anyway. It was yellowed and falling apart just like it's building. On it was a small picture of a tiny...cat-like thing? Henry was reminded of cartoons in the old days with it's little round head and white face. A small squeak, like a mouse being caught in a trap, sounded from the old factory's door.

"Um...hello?", Henry asked, watching as the door swung shut of its own accord as he stood, "Anyone there? I won't hurt you!"

No answer, but there was the unmistakable sound of tiny footsteps inside the old building. A child? What was a child doing in there? If the outside was any indication...then this building was structurally unsound. What if there was a rusty nail or poison or worse? Henry had to go in there after them! If his daughter had been in there and someone knew, he would want them to help.

"Hey! Wait!", Henry yelled, tucking the picture into his back pocket, "Little boy? Girl? I-I'm sorry if I scared you! WAIT!"

Henry dashed after the little sounds, forgetting all senses of , there was no child to be seen. As the man ran, he began to notice little things about the place. It's wooden floors, walls, and even ceiling were covered in ink like there was a type of bomb that went off in there. An ink bomb…

"Hello? Little child? Hello?", Henry turned to notice that there were little black foot prints coming from the way he came to where he was standing currently to...the hallway leading to what looked like a production booth?

Henry wandered further into the hall, slowly making his way towards the production booth.

"Mh...sniff. M-h!", Little sniffles and hiccups became clearer as he wandered closer to the room...closer…

The door gave a horrid creak as he opened was a cavernous place, full of old papers, ink smudged haphazardly on the walls,ceiling and floor. In the middle of otherwise empty room were two odd details. First was an odd star shaped symbol on the floor, seemingly inside of a circle. This was ringed by candles, that gave off a cinnamon scent. Second, there was a small blob of ink in the middle of this star.

It shook, almost like it was alive. In fact...it was making noises suspiciously like crying…

Slowly, the blob trembled and became a creature of some sort. It looked sort of like Mickey Mouse from the 1920s, black and white and small. It was looking pretty beat-up though. One side of his face had melted over his eye, the eye still visible looking soulless. The one ear was fading, it's arm and bow tie having already been long gone. His shoes and one arm had become grotesque lumps of ink and paint. A distressed squeak came from it's destroyed mouth, one side showing an awful grimace full of sharp teeth.

"It's okay!", Henry put his hands up in a calming gesture, waving the little creature down from it's panic attack, then spoke even softer,"It's alright. I won't hurt you. C'mere."

Henry beckoned to the little creature. It gave another little cry, trying to drag itself over to him. It only got some far before falling down pitifully. Interested, Henry bent down to get a better look at the little thing. It looked like a Toon, but had an odd shimmery quality to it. He stooped down a little lower, leading the Toon to back up a bit.

"Shhhhh...It's okay, I won't hurt you, I promise.", The man took the creature by the face, shocked when it's head lifted freely from it's shoulders, "What the-? You...don't have a neck…?"

The demon gave a little snort of anger at that, immediately pulling away. It hissed at Henry, trying to threaten him. The long tail lifted up from its position in the shadows, revealing a pointed tip. This was no mouse Henry was looking at.

It was a demon.

"Um...you...you're-" Henry stated dumbly. "You're interesting. Definitely interesting. What do I say to you? Hello? My name is Henry?"

The ink demon blinked it's single eye, a chirp sounding from what Henry assumed to be it's throat. The candles around the circle the demon was in flickered, casting dancing shadows along the wooden walls of the hollow building.

"Um...can you talk?"Henry pointed to himself. "Can you say my name? Hen-ry?"

The demon squinted from his one good eye, studying Henry until several squeaks came out of his mouth.

"Hen-ry."

The little demon seemed to be pushing to speak with all of his squeaks. Finally, staticky little noises filled the room until…

"H-He-n…"

The little creature erupted in a coughing fit before Henry patted him reassuringly on the back, wiping the inky tears away that squeezed from the creature's eyes.

"You don't have to force yourself, you know. It's fine, no one in this world has to speak. I personally think that actions speak louder than words. That's why I'm a cartoonist."

At the word 'cartoonist', the devil perked up. He remembered something called 'cartoonists'. They had been nice to him, giving him food and keeping him living until they all left one by one. He missed them dearly, maybe this Henry person wasn't so bad?

"So what are you doing here alone?" Henry scanned his surroundings, the yellowed papers indicating that this Ink Factory had been here for a long time.

Just how long had the ink creature been roaming around this place alone? In the state he was in, the answer was clear. So what was Henry to do? He couldn't just leave the Toon there, could he? That would be too cruel, like leaving his daughter behind in this place.

He turned to the demon, whose single eye wandered around the room. It was so small, so innocent. Henry had made his decision. It was just a matter of how well he could stick to it…

"Well, if you aren't…" Henry started, then sighed. "Look, if you...I mean…"

The man sighed once again, his face dropping as the Toon demon tilted his neckless head. What was the man going on about now? Was he crazy? The Toon was sure that he had been in the company of these types of people before. People who stopped and started their sentences as if they didn't know what they were saying.

"...Do you like being here?" Henry kneeled down to the demon's height.

The demon quickly shook his head 'no' before sticking his tongue out in the universal sign for 'yuck'. He didn't like feeling trapped and alone, who would? This 'Henry' really was crazy! Did he really think that the Toon demon even considered this being his home?!

"Okay, then...so may I have you as my gracious guest?"


	3. Henry and Bendy

"Sammy!"

Henry slammed open the apartment door, walking into a disgruntled Sammy who looked just about done with life. He was holding Linda far away from himself, his blonde hair messed up with some sticky stuff in it. Slowly, he turned towards Henry with a face that televised disgust and insanity all at the same time.

"And where have you been all night, Henry?"

"Oh...um…," Henry scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, Sammy! I guess I lost track of time?"

"Lost track of time? Oh, yes, Henry. I suppose that explains why you were gone for four entire hours and left me here with your child."

"Yeah...I kind of had to take a…," Henry stole a quick glance at his apartment door across the hall, which rattled just the tiniest bit. "Detour!"

"Fine. Just take her, okay?" Sammy shoved the baby into his friend's chest with a sour expression on his face but Henry could've sworn he saw Sammy wave 'bye-bye' to Linda while he trooped back to his own apartment.

Quickly, Henry slammed the door behind him and slid down it. That had been close, so very close. Henry held his tiny child close to his heart, looking up from her only when he heard tiny footsteps approach.

"Why'd you rattle the door?," Henry questioned the little demon who just shrugged as he watched Henry get up to place his little girl into her crib. "So do demons like you enjoy ham sandwiches, eggs or-?"

The ink creature limped his way to the crib while the man trudged into his kitchen. He was curious. What was that small, pink thing that cooed so softly? It didn't look like any Toon or human he could remember…

"That's Linda, by the way. She's my daughter."

Linda?

What was a daughter, exactly? Why was it in a box? Did you need one?

"C'mon, Little Guy. Food."

The little demon hobbled over to the table, dragging itself towards the food with a certain bit of joy. Henry watched it in concern while it struggled just to walk, let alone get on a chair. He needed to fix this, quickly. He also needed to give this creature a name.

He watched as the demon dropped it's sandwich, but caught it back up before it hit the ground with its tail. It then proceeded to dump the entire thing down its throat. It reminded him of those old Felix the Cat cartoons, the way that the Toon threw back it's head and laughed. It was quite...bendable it seemed.

"Bendy…"

The Toon perked it's head up, tilting it at Henry. Henry leaned back with a smile, was this the name of this Toon?

"Bendy? Is that your name?"

Bendy shrugged, watching as Henry wandered over to his drawing desk. It was broken, relying heavily on a duct taped leg to stand up.

"Think you can hop onto here, buddy?"

Bendy wandered over, watching as Henry pulled paper out from its hiding box. The demon remembered this type of thing vaguely, from back when that factory he was found in was full and laughing. He remembered the laughter most, when he had been new and less faded. He would just zip onto the page, then the Magic would happen.

"Okay, I'll need you to-"

ZIP!

"Or...you could definitely know what to do."

Bendy sat on the page, watching Henry from the paper. Were all humans this nice? He could remember flashes of the men that helped him become 'real' but none of them looked quite like Henry.

The man sat down, wiping his brow on the back of his hand. His right hand, which shook with arthritis, grasped the pen that sat snug in the inkwell. He flourished it elegantly. He leaned over the paper, making a Henry sky in Henry's point of view. Thrice, the man knocked on the wall in front of him.

"WHAT?!" The voice of Sammy shouted through the thin walls, making Bendy jump.

"Sorry for interrupting you in your closet, Sammy! But I need some musical accompaniment for this particular project I'm working on."Henry called, whispering to Bendy. "He hides in the broom closet next to me when he's stressed."

"Fine," the voice sighed. "What will it be for Mr. Stein?"

"Fur Elise, if you please, Mr. Lawrence." Henry called, getting his pen ready.

"Always with the generic…" Sammy grumbled, starting to play an way as Bendy felt a pen gently rearranging him.

He shivered as a odd feeling rushed over him, bubbling up from his chest before coming out as a sort of laugh. He could feel the felt tip of the pen as it went over him. The piano from next door rang in his ears and he closed his eyes against the light that shined down on the page. Henry hummed along with the music, the soft cooing of his daughter becoming pleasant background noise as he worked. A pair of boots, a bit of a chubby body, fox the eye a little. Maybe refine the tail? Henry sat there for at least two hours, he knew, but Sammy didn't stop playing and Bendy didn't move so why should he stop?

"I'm pleasantly surprised, Henry," Sammy's words drifted through the wall. "This is the first time you've been a good audience to me. Usually you blab all the way through. What has you so focused?"

Henry leaned back, giving a satisfied sigh, "A new start."

Joey was gonna love this.


	4. Bendy and Linda

Henry learned pretty fast that it was hard to keep track of the demon. Mostly because Bendy never was exactly where you'd expect him to be. He didn't stay hidden in dark places or under beds and he never ventured up to the attic through the door in the ceiling. There was one place, however, Henry found he could count on the demon being for the majority of the day.

Linda's crib.

It sat right in the corner of the 'living room' part of the little three room apartment. A window was next to it, the sun pouring down over the shoddy little thing. Inside, Henry could see a little black mass curled up with his daughter between the bars. A long purr reverberated throughout the room.

"Bendy? What are you doing in there? That's the second time since you got here!"

Linda's teddy bear laid forgotten at the end of the crib, abandoned in favor of this newer, warmer thing to hug close before bed. The demon grinned at Henry, his tail having draped itself over the sleeping baby's head. Linda's sweet little face pressed into his furry arm, cooing.

 _ **Heya, Henry**_ _,_ Bendy thought.

His own voice in his head startled him a little, thoughts having been a weird mix of instinct and silence up until now.

"What's wrong, buddy?"Henry asked,his head tilting. "Did I spook ya? You look surprised."

 _ **Nope, just some thoughts in my head,**_ Bendy shook his head, Linda nuzzling under his chin. _**But can ya get her offa me? I'm hungry.**_

Another coo.

 _ **Actually, I take that back,**_ Bendy shooed Henry away with a gloved hand before hunkering down with Linda once more. _**Come back in five. I need my beauty rest, ya know.**_

"Okay, okay," Henry laughed. "I get when I'm not , I have to call Joey anyway. I'll be in the hall if you need me."

 _ **Right, yeah,**_ Bendy gave a thumbs up. _**Got it, Pops.**_

When he laid down again he heard the front door open and close, signalling Henry's departure. Linda yawned, her face pressed into the little demon's bowtie. It made him think of the old days, for some reason, days of black and white with the only color he could remember being people. Humans were everywhere in his memories with their booming voices, the constant cigar smoke always billowing out from their mouths and the music.

Swing was king back in those days, he could practically hear the musical instruments moving with their musician's heads. He closed his eyes, the music becoming a living thing that swooped around him. Smiling, he remembered always following its lead. What was that called?

He opened his eyes, feeling that the baby had moved enough to allow him to escape. Bendy jumped from his prison cell, balancing on the crib's gate. He wobbled backwards, then forwards before straightening out.

 _ **Aw, that wasn't so-**_

The cocky devil darling took one step, slipping. He fell on his tail in a heap, his bowtie floating down to land between his horns. To add insult to injury, the cuckoo clock went off, its little woodpecker cackling up a storm as he slid in and out of the safety of his door.

 _ **Aw, quiet, ya big palooka!**_

Bendy threw one of his shoes at the clock, the chime stopping before he could really get at the woodpecker.

 _ **Stupid color cartoons…**_

Bendy caught his shoe when it bounced back to him, looking to his left at the kitchen. Inside there was a fridge, a microwave and something called Tostitos he's gotten quite fond of this past days living in Henry's apartment. He licked his lips, toddling into the little area. The fridge was significantly larger than he'd anticipated, its reflective silver surface shivering with its humming. Bendy looked up at the door on the top, wondering how he could possibly…

He jumped when his eyes drifted back down.

Standing there was a Bendy-sized black creature, eye level with him but seemingly a tiny bit...taller? Both their heads tilted with confusion, Bendy's eyes widening when the creature's pointed tail became a question mark. The creature had a soft-looking, rounded body with a large white bowtie overlapping most of his chest. He had a white little face with wide eyes, large pie-eyes that glittered in a way that he didn't expect them to. Bendy held his hands up to the newcomer, surprised to find they had the same large, white gloves on.

 _ **Wait, is he… is dat me?**_

Experimentally, he poked the other. He shivered at the fridge's cold surface, his tail curling around his leg. The other reciprocated the movement. Bendy was pretty sure that he wasn't this…cute before but he couldn't say that he disliked it. With a cheeky, toothy grin, he fixed his tie as he admired himself. Then he proceeded to open the fridge to rummage through it, pulling out a quadruple sandwich with everything on it as soon as he was done.

Licking his lips, he shoved it down his throat in one go.

Linda, having woken up to her new favorite cuddle buddy, started getting fussy in the next room. Bendy grinned, skipping right over to her crib with a cheerful little whistle. The baby reached out to him, Bendy giggling when he got close enough to her prison bars. Playfully, he started using his fingers to taunt her. He was always just out of her reach but made sure that their fingers brushed.

 _ **Hey ya, Princess. Have a good nap?**_

Linda gurgled in response, finally catching his fingers.

 _ **I'll take that as a yes.**_

Smiling, Henry finally came back inside shutting the door behind him with a content sigh. Joey hadn't been too angry at him. Especially when he said the key words 'new cartoon'.

"Bendy, darling? Come here."

The demon stopped his play, whimpering slightly. Henry whistled soothingly, apparently Bendy's noise of choice, before beckoning to the demon. Bendy huffed, kissing Linda on the head before toddling to his 'Creator'. He squeaked, purring when Henry rubbed his horns.

"Bendy, I have some terrific news," Henry smiled, his laugh lines becoming apparent. "Come tomorrow, you're gonna be a star!"


End file.
